"It''s nothing, I was just asking." Eleanor''s voice was barely above a whisper.


    "If you''re curious about what kind of research your mother''s sample is being used for, I can askn for you," Simone offered gently.


    Eleanor looked up. "That''s not necessary, Professor Langley. My father handed over the sample himself-he gaven full permission to use it."


    She tried to ept that. Whatever her father''s reasons for givingn the sample, it was his decision. She had no right to interfere.


    Simone reached over and patted Eleanor''s hand. "Why don''t you take a look at the patient data for a bit? I''ll step next door for a break."


    "All right," Eleanor replied with a faint nod.


    She was scanning through charts and numbers when her phone buzzed. She nced down and saw a message fromn.


    "I''ve sent your mother''s sample to an overseasb for research. If you have any questions, you can always ask me."


    Eleanor''s brow furrowed. She didn''t want to reply, but finally picked up her phone and typed, "What kind of research are you using my mother''s sample for?"


    "To extract stem cells,"n answered.


    She let out a bitterugh. "And who exactly are you trying to save?"


    "I can''t answer that," camen''s curt reply.


    Eleanor had long suspected thatn wanted her mother''s donor sample for Vanessa. His evasive answer now confirmed it.


    Looking back, the timeline was in enough. Ian and Vanessa had fallen in love well before everything else. Aftern''s car ident, Eleanor had cared for him through hisa and recovery; he''d married her out of gratitude, but his affection -his heart and his resources-had always gone to Vanessa.


    Vanessa''s health had never been good. Ian kept her sheltered and cared for abroad. Eleanor had guessed that Vanessa was the early-stage leukemia patient. Now, with the new drug developed,n was preparing a backup n: extracting stem cells from her mother''s donor blood for a potential future bone marrow transnt.


    The prognosis for the disease often required the option of stem cell transntation.


    Eleanor''s fingers curled into a fist so tight her knuckles turned white. She held her breath for a long, aching moment before finally exhaling.


    Nothing hurt more than knowing her mother''s sample would be used to save the womann truly loved.


    The door opened and Simone returned. She stopped short at the sight of Eleanor''s pale face and reddened eyes. "Eleanor, are you all right? You''re not finished yet?"


    Eleanor bit down hard on her lip, trying topose herself. "I''m fine."


    "If you''re dealing with something painful, you can talk to me," Simone said softly, sitting beside her with concern in her eyes. She sensed that Eleanor was carrying far too much on her shoulders.


    Eleanor closed her eyes and shook her head. "Really, I''m okay."


    Simone didn''t press. She just encouraged Eleanor to rest a while, then quietly left the room.


    Eleanor nodded. She''d always known how deeplyn loved Vanessa, but facing each new piece of evidence left her raw and shaken.


    At four thirty, Eleanor drove to pick up her daughter from school.


    After parking, she grabbed her bag and crossed the street toward the campus. The neighborhood was old, the streets narrow, and the school had limited parking, so Eleanor had to leave her car across the road.


    She had just reached the middle of the crosswalk when a piercing screech of brakes shattered the afternoon stillness. Eleanor''s head snapped up a ck sedan was careening out of control, barreling straight toward her.


    In that split second, she felt her blood turn to ice.